A bronze statue dedicated to Melania Trump has vanished from its riverside location near her birthplace in Slovenia, nearly five years after it was erected to replace a previous wooden version that met its fiery end.
Slovenian authorities confirmed to CNN that the statue, situated in the village of Rožno, was reported stolen on Tuesday.
The statue was positioned near Sevnica, a quaint town approximately 90 kilometers east of Ljubljana, famously recognized as Melania Trump’s hometown.
Police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus stated on Friday that officials had “conducted an inspection of the crime scene and collected information.”
A new bronze statue of first lady Melania Trump was unveiled in Slovenia this week, after a wooden version of the memorial was burned in July. pic.twitter.com/fZ3lkNMfhm
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 20, 2020
Images released by Slovenian media show the lower legs and feet of the statue still attached to a tree stump, while the rest of the sculpture has been cleanly severed.
This bronze creation replaced an earlier wooden rendition, which was set ablaze by vandals with leftist sentiments in July 2020. The remains of that sculpture have since been removed and displayed in various exhibitions.
Brad Downey, the artist behind this endeavor, originally intended for the bronze piece to be showcased in a formal setting. However, he opted to install it on-site as a replacement for the charred original.
“I had always envisioned a bronze version of the statue for an institutional display,” he noted. “But after the wooden sculpture was destroyed, I decided to use it as a replacement.”
BREAKING NEWS : Melania Trump Statue Stolen in Slovenia:
A life-size bronze statue of U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has been stolen from her hometown of Sevnica, Slovenia, prompting a police investigation. The statue, located in the village of Rozno, was sawed off at the ankles… pic.twitter.com/5FScRSTx8O
— World In Focus (@worldinfocuss) May 16, 2025
Downey commissioned the wooden statue from Slovenian artist Ales Zupevc, another Sevnica native who shares a birthplace and birth year with Melania Trump.
The initial wooden version, which depicted the First Lady in the pale blue outfit she wore at the 2017 inauguration, garnered mixed reactions from local residents upon its unveiling due to its unconventional design.
Sevnica, a serene town with a population of around 5,000, has embraced its connection to Melania, promoting a range of themed products—chocolates, cakes, and locally-sourced honey—targeted at tourists visiting the area.
Watch the clip below:
